India to allow retrofit of old diesel trucks and buses with low-cost emission device

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced that owners of old diesel trucks and buses will be allowed to retrofit their vehicles with a low-cost emission-control device developed from an IIT-Delhi innovation. The device, priced at around Rs 4,000-5,000, can cut particulate matter emissions by up to 90% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 60%, bringing BS-III, BS-IV and older diesel vehicles close to BS-VI emission levels.

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Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has said the government will allow owners of old diesel trucks and buses to fit their vehicles with a retrofit device that can bring emissions close to BS-VI levels. The device, developed from an innovation at IIT-Delhi, is expected to cost around Rs 4,000-5,000.

Gadkari made the announcement while addressing an event organised by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), where he said the technology has successfully completed testing and is now ready to be rolled out on BS-III, BS-IV and other older diesel vehicles, reports TOI.

What the Rs 5000 retrofit device does

The retrofit emission-control device (RECD) can cut particulate matter emissions by up to 90% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 60%, according to Gadkari. Fitted onto ageing diesel vehicles, the device is designed to bring their emission output to a level comparable with the far stricter BS-VI standard, without requiring owners to replace the entire vehicle.

Gadkari pointed out that similar emission-control technology is already being used in diesel generator sets to control pollution, and the government now intends to extend the same approach to heavy vehicles on the road.

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Part of a wider push against old vehicles

The retrofit option is meant to work alongside the government's existing scheme to scrap and replace old, heavily polluting heavy vehicles, rather than replace it. Owners of trucks and buses that are not yet due for scrapping will now have a cheaper way to cut down their emissions and keep the vehicles compliant.

To standardise the rollout, the road transport ministry is preparing to notify Automotive Industry Standard 228, which will lay down the technical specifications and performance requirements that these retrofit devices will need to meet before they can be fitted commercially.

Wider transport announcements

At the same event, Gadkari also touched on other transport priorities. He flagged India's shortage of buses, noting the country has just two buses for every 1,000 people against a global benchmark of eight, and called for innovative public transport models in smaller cities where metro rail systems are too capital-intensive to be practical.

He also reiterated the ministry's plan to introduce a negative points system for traffic offences, under which a driver's licence could be suspended or cancelled once penalty points cross a prescribed limit, while drivers with a good record could be rewarded with incentives from insurance companies.

Gadkari further said the government will roll out an updated Bharat NCAP programme from October 2027, under which vehicle safety will be assessed across the "entire safety chain." He cited India's road accident numbers, five lakh accidents and 1.80 lakh deaths a year, a large share of them among people aged 18 to 36, as the reason a broader approach to vehicle safety evaluation is needed.

(With TOI inputs)